yuca

_**Editor's note:** Pair this with Maricel Presilla's [Puerto RicanStyle _Ají Dulce_ Sauce (_Ajilimójili_)](/recipes/food/views/51203210)_ .
Boiled yuca is a small miracle. I can hardly think of another vegetable so transformed just by simple boiling. The impenetrable tuber, which starts out fibrous and as hard as the tusk of an elephant, becomes a creamy and supple vegetable. Boiled yuca is also the stuff with which many other preparations start, and you will come back to it time and again.
There is no single rule that will help you figure out how much time it will take to cook fresh yuca until fork-tender. A general estimate is 30 minutes, but it might take less time or much longer, depending on the type of yuca. Start testing the vegetable with a fork 15 minutes after the water comes to a boil and continue to test until you reach the desired texture. Usually I prefer to remove the central spindle after rather than before cooking. It takes some force to whack through it when you're cutting the raw yuca into chunks, but it is much easier to detach the spindle from cooked yuca. Serve the yuca with a sauce of your choice or with just a sprinkling of olive oil and some salt.

Talk about comfort food. This traditional stew combines all manner of meat with two different kinds of tubers. Sour orange lends a uniquely Caribbean flair. We like to brighten our sancocho by pairing it with avocado, rice, and cilantro, and to inject a little heat with a splash of hot sauce. We would not turn down an accompanying plate of [crunchy tostones](/recipes/recipe_views/views/239951) (twice-fried green plantains).

Yuca, also called cassava or manioc, is a staple of many Latin American cuisines. This traditional Cuban preparation brings together yuca's mild flavor and starchy texture with a piquant citrusy garlic sauce. Simple and delicious, it will quickly become a staple of your kitchen as well.

_Yuquitas a la Huancaína_
Think of this as the Peruvian answer to fries and ketchup. While _huancaína_ sauce is usually served over sliced potatoes with boiled eggs and olives, Guillermo Payet finds it a great accompaniment to fried yuca, the potato-like root vegetable.

If you're making these fries to go with the [broiled steak with horseradish cream](/recipes/recipe_views/views/232000), as shown below, skip the chipotle mayonnaise and squeeze lemon or lime juice over the fries.

Beef Stew
_**Editor's Note:** This recipe and introductory text are excerpted from_ The Exotic Kitchens of Peru, _by Copeland Marks. We've also added some tips of our own below._
_For a complete guide to Peruvian cuisine, [click here.](http://eat.epicurious.com/eat/going_global/?/eat/going_global/peruvian/intro.html)_
This is a special dish that is only prepared on Mondays. My teacher told me that everyone she knew cooked _Espesado_ on Mondays, a ritual that is universally accepted. In the clean and complete Central Market of Chiclayo, a number of the small eating shops were dispensing this to diners who knew what they wanted and expected it on Mondays.

While in Costa Rica, Boston chef Steve Johnson was inspired to make fish cakes from leftover red snapper and boiled yuca. The combination takes clever advantage of the vegetable's starchy character, which binds the cakes together while allowing the flavor of the snapper to come through cleanly. We prefer to use frozen yuca, which has a better consistency and is easier to prepare.

Fish Salad Cooked in Lime Juice
_**Editor's Note:** This recipe and introductory text are excerpted from_ The Exotic Kitchens of Peru, _by Copeland Marks. We've also added some tips of our own below._
_For a complete guide to Peruvian cuisine, [click here.](http://eat.epicurious.com/eat/going_global/?/eat/going_global/peruvian/intro.html)_
The English title of this recipe is not an altogether accurate description of _ceviche_ since it is the lime (or lemon juice) that "cooks" the fish.
Peruvians are justifiably proud of their internationally famous method of serving fish tidbits. A mixed assortment can include squid, octopus, scallops, clams, _langostas,_ as well as _pata de mula,_ a shellfish similar to scallops. Then there are the black scallops of Peru, a rarity. All can be used in a classic _ceviche,_ insuring a variety of textures and flavors.

Onioned Tuna Soup
I first tasted this soup at La Canoa, a restaurant in Guayaquil, Ecuador. They prepared the tuna in the popular style of leaving it mostly rare, then they added it to the soup right before serving. When we serve the soup at the Patria, we use all the meaty trimmings from the tuna steaks we've served as full portions.